Liver cirrhosis: symptoms and medications for this liver disease

By Cristiano Antonino Last updated Feb 9, 2023

Liver cirrhosis is a disorder of the liver. The disease manifests itself in a slow and progressive deterioration of this organ, which, due to chronic lesions, stops functioning properly

What causes the liver to malfunction is the scar tissue that forms to replace healthy liver tissue.

The organ is no longer able to eliminate bacteria and toxins from the blood and thus to control infections, but not only that, it cannot even produce the proteins that serve to regulate blood clotting and numerous other fundamental functions are inhibited.

Liver cirrhosis, what it is

Before discussing cirrhosis of the liver, we must be clear about the role of the liver.

This organ, if healthy, is able to regenerate most of its cells if they are damaged.

In the case of the onset of cirrhosis, however, this regenerative capacity is lost: the liver is unable to renew its tissues.

Thanks to the liver, the body is able to produce bile, which contributes to the absorption of fats, including cholesterol, but also serves to produce fat-soluble vitamins such as A, E, D and K.

Other important functions of the liver, as we saw earlier, are to control infections, produce the proteins that regulate blood clotting, and control the processing of certain nutrients, drugs and hormones.

It goes without saying that a malfunction of this organ impairs all these functions.

Causes of cirrhosis of the liver

As is often the case with other diseases, cirrhosis of the liver cannot be attributed to a single cause; on the contrary, it can be said that there are several.

Certainly, however, alcohol consumption, obesity and hepatitis C are among the most common.

These may be causes in their own right or concomitant with each other, the result does not change.

A single trauma alone, however, is not enough to cause cirrhosis; it takes several years of chronically healing injuries to develop cirrhosis

The most frequent causes, however, are:

Chronic hepatitis C. This is a virus that is transmitted through contact with the blood of the infected person. As a result of contagion, the liver becomes inflamed and can be severely damaged, which in the course of time can lead to cirrhosis.
Chronic hepatitis B and D are also a cause of cirrhosis. Hepatitis B is an infection of the liver that is transmitted through blood contact or sexual intercourse with an infected person. Just like hepatitis C, hepatitis B also causes cirrhosis in the long run. Hepatitis D, on the other hand, only occurs in individuals who have already contracted hepatitis B.

There are also forms of autoimmune hepatitis that cause severe liver damage and the onset of cirrhosis.

The cause is thought to lie in genetics. Seventy per cent of those affected are female.

Liver disease can often be traced back to alcohol abuse, but of course here too it is a very long course, which can last for years, before causing irreparable damage to the liver.

Cases of obesity degenerating into cirrhosis are also on the rise.

Then there are diseases that destroy the bile ducts and lead to the development of biliary cirrhosis

In the primary one, the bile ducts become inflamed until they are so damaged that they disappear, in the secondary one, it can occur following surgery if the ducts are injured or sewn incorrectly.

The main symptoms of the condition

The symptoms of this condition are quite varied, even many people suffer from cirrhosis completely asymptomatically, at least at first.
Symptoms that occur during the course of the disease, however, include severe fatigue, nausea, weakness, loss of appetite, vomiting, and clearly visible capillaries and veins.
Weight loss, bloating and abdominal pain may also occur.

An unmistakable sign, however, is jaundice, which is not only a symptom of cirrhosis, so the best thing to do when the first symptoms appear is to visit your doctor.

How liver cirrhosis is diagnosed

A correct diagnosis is based on a history of symptoms and an assessment of possible risk factors.

The doctor may then perform blood tests, imaging tests and a physical examination.

The medical history plays a very important role, as does a clinical test of the abdomen where it can be assessed whether the liver appears dilated or rigid.

Other tests that may be prescribed include an MRI or ultrasound scan or computed tomography.

The liver can also be examined by laparoscopy, a small camera attached to a probe.

A biopsy is not always necessary.

To assess the degree of severity of cirrhosis, the MELD score is used, which is based on three liver tests that assess coagulation capacity, bilirubin and creatinine.

Treatment

Treatment must be chosen according to the cause of the onset of cirrhosis, but one cannot speak of a cure as much as of therapies aimed at slowing down the progression of the disease or treating and preventing complications.

It is still essential to follow an alcohol-free and nutritious diet.

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